Strip support and alignment device, particularly for strips to be cut in a cutting machine

ABSTRACT

A strip support and alignment device, particularly for strips to be cut in a cutting machine, the device comprising:
         a sheet that is stretched between a station for feeding at least one strip and a station for processing said strip, which defines a support and alignment surface for the strip,   first elements for fixing the sheet to the feeding station,   second elements for fixing the sheet to the processing station,   elements for winding and unwinding the sheet, which are adapted to wind or unwind the sheet in order to vary its length depending on the distance between the feeding station and the processing station.

The present invention relates to a strip support and alignment device,particularly for strips to be cut in a cutting machine.

In the field of the cutting of hides and synthetic materials used inmany fields of the manufacturing industry, a profound revolution hasbeen ongoing for years in the technologies used, in order to reduce thetimes, costs and wastes of material related to the cutting procedures,which are fundamentally important in the economics of the entireproduction cycle. These needs therefore lead to the requirement toprovide cutting machines and associated components that are capable ofadapting in a flexible way to the most complex and diversifiedprocessing needs and of being controlled or programmed by electronicsystems.

One highly critical aspect of the processing of hides and syntheticmaterials relates to the steps of feeding, centering and aligning thestrips of material to be cut.

Currently, devices of the known type used to feed strips of materialunwound from rolls or reels to a machine for cutting them includeso-called cross-lappers, which are however very complex, bulky andextremely expensive devices. They in fact comprise usually a fixed tablethat can be up to 12 meters long, by way of which it is possible toprepare automatically layer sets composed of multiple segments, or cuts,of strips of material that are mutually superimposed, have aprogrammable length and are then transferred onto the conveyor belt ofthe cutting machine to be processed thereat, maintaining the samealignment provided by the cross-lapper.

Cheaper versions of such cross-lapper are also known which are in anycase similar in terms of bulk, in a manual or semiautomatic version.Such versions have no control on the angular alignment and on thecentering of the strip of material with respect to the cutting machine.In such versions, the so-called layer set composed of multiplesuperimposed strips of material must be transferred manually from thecross-lapping table to the cutting machine.

As an alternative to cross-lappers, passive unwinding machines of therack type are also known on which several rolls of strip of material tobe fed to the cutting machine are mounted. Such passive unwindingmachines, however, have no possibility for accurate angular alignmentand centering of the strip of material with respect to the conveyor beltof the cutting machine. In particular, in such passive unwindingmachines of the known type uniform unwinding of the strips of materialis not ensured, and this can lead, especially in the case ofparticularly wide strips, to an unwinding that is asymmetrical withrespect to the two sides of the strip, i.e., with significant angulardeviations that then lead to an inefficient processing of the layer set,causing important wastes of material.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a strip support andalignment device, particularly for strips to be cut in a cuttingmachine, that solves the technical problems described above, obviatesthe drawbacks and overcomes the limitations of the background art,allowing to feed a strip of material to a processing machine accurately,precisely and efficiently.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide astrip support and alignment device that allows precise centering andangular alignment of the strip.

Another object of the invention is to provide a strip support andalignment device that is simple and straightforward to use and has asmall bulk, especially when it is not being used.

A further object of the invention is to provide a strip support andalignment device that is capable of giving the greatest assurances ofreliability and safety in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a strip support andalignment device that is easy to manufacture and economicallycompetitive if compared with the background art.

This aim, these objects and others that will become better apparenthereinafter are achieved by a strip support and alignment device,particularly for strips to be cut in a cutting machine, characterized inthat it comprises:

a sheet that is stretched between a station for feeding at least onestrip and a station for processing said at least one strip, whichdefines a support and alignment surface for said at least one strip,

first means for fixing said sheet to said feeding station,

second means for fixing said sheet to said processing station,

means for winding and unwinding said sheet, which are adapted to wind orunwind said sheet in order to vary its length depending on the distancebetween said feeding station and said processing station.

Further characteristics and advantages will become better apparent fromthe description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a stripsupport and alignment device, particularly for strips to be cut in acutting machine, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an embodiment of a strip supportand alignment device according to the invention, applied between afeeding station and a processing station for strips;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of what is shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of what is shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of what is shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the strip support and alignment devicealone, according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is a view of a detail of the means for fixing the device of FIG.5 to the processing station;

FIG. 7 is a view of a detail of the means for fixing the device of FIG.5 to the feeding station;

FIG. 8 is a view of a detail of the device of FIG. 5.

With reference to the figures, the strip support and alignment device,particularly for strips to be cut in a cutting machine, is generallydesignated by the reference numeral 1.

According to the invention, the strip support and alignment device 1comprises:

a sheet 3 that is stretched between a station 5 for feeding at least onestrip (not shown) and a station 7 for processing the strip, whichdefines a support and alignment surface 17 for said strip,

first means 9 for fixing the sheet 3 to the feeding station 5,

second means 11 for fixing the sheet 3 to the processing station 7,

means 13 for winding and unwinding the sheet 3, which are adapted towind or unwind the sheet 3 in order to vary its length depending on thedistance between the feeding station 5 and the processing station 7.

The feeding station 7 can comprise an unwinding device 50 of the racktype, either a single one or a multiple one such as the one shown inFIGS. 1 to 4, capable of feeding one or more strips of material in orderto provide, for example, a layer set composed of multiple strips ofmaterial that are superimposed.

The processing station 7 can comprise a cutting machine 70 capable ofcutting and processing the strip of material or the layer set composedof multiple superimposed strips of material. Conveyance of the strip, orstrips, of material within the cutting machine 70 is achieved by meansof a conveyor belt 71 with which the cutting machine 70 is provided.

Furthermore, the support and alignment device 1 can comprise means 15for tensioning the sheet 3. The tensioning means 15 can comprise elasticelements provided with springs, adapted to keep the sheet 3 stretched,or can comprise rigid elements that are kept pressed against the sheet 3in order to keep it stretched.

Advantageously, the sheet 3 comprises, on the surface 17 for the restingand alignment of the strip of material, a plurality of longitudinalmarking lines 19 which are parallel to the unwinding direction of thesheet 3, are equidistant with respect to the center of the surface 17and are mutually equidistant, for the centering and alignment of thestrip of material with respect to the processing station 7.

In particular, the marking lines 19 can be graduated numerically, asshown in particular in FIG. 8. Moreover, said marking lines 19 can alsobe colored, so that the pairs of marking lines 19 that are symmetricalwith respect to a longitudinal straight line that passes through thecenter of said surface 17 are of the same color. The presence of saidmarking lines 19, which are optionally graduated numerically andoptionally colored conveniently, allows to align and center the strip ofmaterial in an easy and straightforward manner, starting from an obviousvisual reference.

The strip support and alignment device 1 furthermore comprisesadvantageously means 21 for cutting the strip.

The cutting means 21 can comprise a movable cutter of the type providedwith a disk, a blade, or any other technical cutting means, such as alaser or a hot wire.

The cutting means 21 allow to cut the strip of material of the desiredlength, depending on the type of processing to be performed in theprocessing station 7.

The means 13 for winding and unwinding the sheet 3 compriseadvantageously a knob 23 for manual winding and unwinding.

As an alternative, the winding and unwinding means 13 can comprise motormeans for the motorized winding and unwinding of the sheet 3.

The sheet 3, moreover, can be wound completely onto the winding andunwinding means 13, so that, when the strip support and alignment device1 is not used, it does not occupy space. The sheet 3 can in fact bewound completely onto the winding and unwinding means 13, so as to placethe feeding station 5, optionally provided with wheels 5, adjacent tothe processing station 7.

Advantageously, furthermore, the strip of material is a strip of leatheror hide and the processing station 7 comprises a machine for cuttingleather or hide. Moreover, the support and alignment device 1 allows tofeed and align a plurality of superimposed strips to provide even layersets of material.

The first means 9 for fixing the sheet 3 to the feeding station 5 can beintegral with the winding and unwinding means 13.

The second means 11 for fixing the sheet 3 to the processing station 7can comprise a fixing anchor 110, which supports a longitudinal end ofthe sheet 3 and is provided with holes for the insertion of screws 111for fixing to the frame of the cutting machine 70 of the processingstation 7.

Operation of the strip support and alignment device is clear and evidentfrom what has been described.

The device 1 is fixed initially to the feeding station 5 by way of thefirst fixing means 9. The sheet 3, initially wound on the winding andunwinding means 11, is then unwound for a selected length, so as tocover the distance between the feeding station 5 and the processingstation 7. In particular, such distance depends on the length of thesegments of strip of material that are processed in the processingstation 7.

The unwinding end of the sheet 3 is then engaged, by way of the secondfixing means 11, with the cutting machine of the processing station 7,for example proximate to the conveyor belt 71.

If the feeding station 5 is provided with wheels 51, it is also possibleto fix the sheet 3 respectively to the feeding station 5 and to theprocessing station 7, and at a later time to move the feeding station 5to the desired distance from the processing station 7, at the same timeunwinding the sheet 3 from the winding and unwinding means 13.

When the support and alignment device 1 is in position, it is possibleto unwind the strips of material from the feeding station 5 on the sheet3, centering them and aligning them thanks to the marking lines 19, sothat the operator can introduce them, manually or with the aid ofautomatic devices, in the processing station 7, keeping them centeredand aligned with respect to said station 7.

In practice it has been found that the support and alignment device 1,according to the present invention, achieves the intended aim andobjects since it allows to support, center and align the strips ofmaterial practically, efficiently, precisely and inexpensively.

In particular, an advantage of the support and alignment deviceaccording to the invention, resides in that the variable length of thesheet, which is a function of the length of the segments of materialneeded to provide the desired layer sets, allows to adapt the dimensionsof the processing system according to the type of process and to reducesignificantly the bulk of the entire processing system. Moreover, theremovability of the roll-up sheet, when its use ends, allows to leavethe workplace of the operator completely free and accessible.

A further advantage of the support and alignment device, according tothe invention, resides in that it prevents the incorrect alignment andcentering of the strips, especially in the case of multilayer stripsthat arrive from multiple rolls of material. The sheet in fact defines aso-called buffer zone, for the support and alignment of the layers ofmaterial, which allows to distribute in an appropriate length,minimizing them, any creases caused by the misalignment produced byoperator error.

Another advantage of the support and alignment device, according to theinvention, resides in that the presence of marking lines for the correctalignment of the strips of material of a layer set allows to avoid anydrifting of the layer set during cutting, thus avoiding wastes ofmaterial, and to avoid the presence of excessive creases, which forcethe operator to stop the machine in order to realign the material, witha consequent reduction of the efficiency of the entire productionprocess.

A further advantage of the support and alignment device according to theinvention, resides in that it can be used universally to place manuallyor automatically several models for cutting the hides.

The support and alignment device thus conceived is susceptible ofnumerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scopeof the appended claims.

All the details may further be replaced with other technicallyequivalent elements.

In practice, the materials used, so long as they are compatible with thespecific use, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may beany according to requirements.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MI2013A001175 fromwhich this application claims priority are incorporated herein byreference.

1-10. (canceled)
 11. A strip support and alignment device, particularlyfor strips to be cut in a cutting machine, comprising: a sheet that isstretched between a station for feeding at least one strip and a stationfor processing said at least one strip, which defines a support andalignment surface for said at least one strip, first means for fixingsaid sheet to said feeding station, second means for fixing said sheetto said processing station, means for winding and unwinding said sheet,which are adapted to wind or unwind said sheet in order to vary itslength depending on the distance between said feeding station and saidprocessing station.
 12. The strip support and alignment device accordingto claim 11, further comprising means for tensioning said sheet.
 13. Thestrip support and alignment device according to claim 11, wherein saidsheet comprises, on said alignment surface, a plurality of longitudinalmarking lines which are parallel to an unwinding direction of saidsheet, are equidistant with respect to a center of said surface and aremutually equidistant, for the centering and alignment of said at leastone strip.
 14. The strip support and alignment device according to claim11, further comprising means for cutting said at least one strip. 15.The strip support and alignment device according to claim 13, whereinsaid marking lines are graduated numerically.
 16. The strip support andalignment device according to claim 13, wherein said longitudinalmarking lines are colored, the pairs of marking lines that aresymmetrical with respect to a longitudinal straight line that passesthrough the center of said surface being of a same color.
 17. The stripsupport and alignment device according to claim 11, wherein said meansfor winding and unwinding said sheet comprise a knob for manual windingand unwinding.
 18. The strip support and alignment device according toclaim 11, wherein said means for winding and unwinding said sheetcomprise motor means for a motorized winding and unwinding of saidsheet.
 19. The strip support and alignment device according to claim 11,wherein said at least one strip is a strip of leather or hide, saidprocessing station comprising a machine for cutting leather or hide. 20.The strip support and alignment device according to claim 11, whereinsaid sheet can be wound completely onto said winding and unwinding meansof said sheet.